Cleveland, OH vs Hartford, CT
Moving from Cleveland to Hartford? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($252,210 → $400,167 median home) and taxes.
Cleveland vs Hartford at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Cleveland, OH, you'd need about $113,012 in Hartford, CT (+$13,012).
Livability — Cleveland, OH: 71 · Hartford, CT: 59 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,270 sqft in Cleveland vs 2,374 sqft in Hartford ($153 vs $211 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Cleveland, OH | Hartford, CT | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,532 | $23,700 | +$6,168 |
| Groceries | $4,830 | $4,930 | +$100 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $3,720 | +$695 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $3,480 | +$1,380 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,600 | +$300 |
| Taxes | $9,518 | $15,460 | +$5,942 |
| Total | $38,305 | $52,890 | +$14,585 |
Side by side
| Metric | Cleveland, OH | Hartford, CT |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.4 | 103.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.88% | 5.42% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.8% | 0.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 40 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.20 | $5.88 |
| Median home price | $252,210 | $400,167 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.8× | 4.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Price per square foot | $153 | $211 |
| Median rent | $1,461 | $1,975 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 15.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 6.35% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | 6.99% |
| Property tax rate | 1.84% | 2.16% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $8,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.07% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 32.2 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.40 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 150 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 18 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |